Sheet opener



M y 1931. c. c. WENDLING 1,805,301

SHEET OPENER 7 Filed NOV. 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

CC, Wen (iii/2y May 12, 1931. c. c. WENDLING SHEET OPENER Filed Nov. 25, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gmanlfoo C 6. VI/end/Z/ly attonwg Patented May 12, 1931 A un te-rates PATENT OFFICE CHARLES c. wnnnmnaor DOVER, OHIO SHEET OPENER Application filed November 23, 1929. Serial No. 409,238.

' The invention relates to the opening of packs ofsheets as produced by hot rolling in sheet mills, or after box annealing and the like.

'51 It is customar in rollin sheets of thin y .2:

gauge, to roll the sheets in a pack through the sheet mill, in order to bring them to the desired thickness. In this operation the sheets become more or less attached to each 10) other with the result that the packs have to be opened or separated before continuing through the remainder of the sheet finishing process. p

This opening or separating of the sheets is usually done manually by means of a pair of tongs, and a bar commonly known in sheet mills'as a sword. The pack is delivered to the opening floor and the workman turns up a small corner of the pack and then separates the corners of the several sheets in order that he can grip each individual sheet with his tongs.

He then grips the corner of the top sheet with his tongs, holding down the lower sheets with his foot, the shoe being usually fitted with a metal toe plate for this purpose. In separating the top sheetfr om the remainder of the'pack, the operator, gripping the end ofthe top sheet in the tongs, exerts an upward pull upon the sheet, at the same time drawing his body forward and thus giving an upward swing to the sheet, causing a separation of the sheets similar to a peeling action, whereby each sheet is individually separated from the remainder of the pack.

Asthis separating is done while the sheets are still hot, and the physical exertion is very great, it is difiicult to find men having the physical strength to stand the combined heat and continued strain, making it necessary to frequently relieve the operator.

It frequently happens that the sheets are so'tightly attached together that they cane not be opened in the above manner, and these 4.5 stickers must be chopped apart by an implement known as a sword and often such sheets are destroyedin the opening operation.

It will thus be seen that the manual open ing or separating of sheets is a very dilfi cult, laborious and expensive operation, re-

quiring skill as well as great strength and endurance, nr king it difiicult'to obtain men for this work, especially in hot weather.

In the past many attempts have been made to provide a mechanical means for opening sheets, based on the use of rolls and other similar mechanism, but the fact has been overlooked that the principle of hand opening is ideal and by applying this principle to a mechanical sheet opener, great power can be exerted in the opening of the pack of sheets, with a minimum of physical effort upon the part of theoperator.

The object of the improvement is to provide a mechanical sheet opener which accomplishes the opening of the pack of sheets by the same principle which is used in manu ally separating the sheets.

The above and other objects may be attained by providing an endless chain upon which is carried one or more tongs for engaging one end of the uppermost sheet of a pack, for peeling the sheets upward and backward from the pack in substantially the same manner as is usually done manually, and for carrying the sheets away from the pack and depositing them at a suitable location.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in V which I r 30 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved sheet opener showing the manner of operation of the same; Fig. 2, a top plan view thereof; 4

Fig. 3, an enlarged bottom plan view of one of the automatically operating tongs; and

Fig. 4, a side elevation of the same.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts M throughout the drawings. The apparatus may be suspended from any suitable, overhead support and as illustrated comprises two sprockets 10 and 11 spaced apart a distance greater than twice the length of the sheets to be opened.

The feed sprocket 10 is supported by the hanger 12 depending from an overhead frame 13 and is located at a considerably lower point than the rear sprocket 11 which is supm0 ported by the hanger 14, whereby the the pack of sheets, indicated generally at 17,

which is to be opened.

A crossbar or rail 18 may be located above the forward end of the pack in position to permit the operator to grasp the forward edge of the uppermost sheet in a pair of long handled tongs, resting upon the bar or rail, and raise the same upward into substantially the position shown at 19 in Fig. 1.

One or more pairs of tongs, indicated generally at 20, may be carried by the chain, the jaws 21 thereof being located toward the forward end of the apparatus and adapted to a grip the upraised end 19 of the uppermost sheet as they approach the same.

For the purpose of holding the jaws of the tones open, a pair of tracks 22 and 23 are located above the chain upon which the T- heads 24 of the tongs are arranged to ride.

As the tongs grip the end of the uppermost sheet, the uppermost T-head passes from the upper track 23 and onto the eccentric portion 25 of the track 26 located below the chain and below the lower extension 22a of the track 22, moving the handles of the tongs together and causing the jaws to grip the end of the uppermost sheet.

As the lower strand of the chain then continues rearward, the sheet is peeled from the pack in substantially the same manner in which a workman manually peels the upper sheet from a pack in opening the same with a pair of tongs as above described.

The sheet as IOWII at 27 is thus peeled backward from e pack and carried to the rear end portion of the apparatus where the tracks 22a and 26 terminate as indicated at 28, at which time the T-heads of the tong passing out of contact with the tracks permit the tongs to open by their own weight, dropping the sheet as shown at 29 upon any suitable support such as the truck 30.

This operation is repeated as each pair of tongs approaches the forward end of the pack and grips the upturned end of the uppermost sheet, until the entire pack has been opened and the sheets deposited upon the truck at the rear end portion of the apparatus.

From the above it will be seen that the objections and difiiculties present in the manual opening of packs of sheets are overcome by this improved apparatus, while at the same time the ideal principle of hand opening of packs is carried out by the apparatus above described, great power being exerted in the opening of the pack with a minimum of physical effort and skill upon the part of the operator.

I claim:

1. Sheet opening mechanism including a spaced plurality of tongs, means for continuously moving the tongs in a continuous path toward and from one end of a pack of sheets, tracks for holding each of the tongs open as it approaches said end of the pack, and tracks for closing each of the tongs and holding it closed as it engages the uppermost sheet of the pack and moves backward therefrom, peeling said uppermost sheet from the pack.

2. Sheet opening mechanism including a spaced plurality of tongs, means for continuously moving the tongs in a continuous path toward and from one end of a pack of sheets, tracks for holding each of the ton s open as it approaches said end of the pack, tracks for closing each of the tongs and holding it closed as it engages the uppermost sheet of the pack and moves backward therefrom, peeling said uppermost sheet from the pack, the tracks being positioned so that the tongs may open at a predetermined point as they leave the end of said tracks.

3. Sheet opening mechanism including an endless chain located above a pack of sheets to be opened, tongs upon the chain, tracks for closing the tongs as it engages the uppermost sheet of the pack, and for holding the tongs closed until the uppermost sheet is peeled from the pack.

4. Sheet opening mechanism including an endless chain located above a pack of sheets to be opened, tongs upon the chain, tracks for closing the tongs as it engages the uppermost sheet of the pack and for holding the tongs closed until the uppermost sheet is peeled from the pack, the tracks being positioned so that the tongs may open at a predetermined point as they said tracks.

5. Sheet opening mechanism including a pair of tongs, means for continuously moving the tongs, in open position, toward one end of a pack of sheets, tracks for closing the tongs when it engages the end of the uppermost sheet said moving means moving the tongs, in closed position, in the opposite direct1i{0n to peel the uppermost sheet from the pac 6. Sheet opening mechanism including a pair of tongs, means for continuously moving the tongs, in open position, toward one end of a pack of sheets, tracks for closing the tongs when it engages the end of the uppermost sheet, said moving means moving the tongs, in closed position, in the opposite direction to peel the uppermost sheet from the pack, the tracks being positioned so that the tongs may open at a predetermined point as they leave the end of said tracks.

7 Sheet opening mechanism including a downwardly and forwardly inclined endless chain located above a pack of sheets to be opened, tongs upon the chain, tracks for closleave the end of ing the tongs as it engages the uppermost sheet of the pack and for holding the tongs closed until the uppermost sheet is peeled from the pack.

8. Sheet opening mechanism including an endless chain, located above a downwardly and rearwardly inclined pack of sheets to be opened, tongs upon the chain, tracks for closing the tongs as it engages the uppermost sheet of the pack and for holding the tongs closed until the uppermost sheet is peeled from the pack.

9. Sheet opening mechanism including a downwardly and forwardly inclined endless chain located above a downwardly and rearwardly inclined pack of sheets to be opened, tongs upon the chain, tracks for closing the tongs as it engages the uppermost sheet of the pack and for holding the tongs closed until the uppermost sheet is peeled from the ac p In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES C. WENDLING. 

